Tower mounted HF Verticals

[AA9WB]

I have a 70 foot Rohn tower, but due to the South end of my property being forested, I am unable to install an multiband inverted “V”. I have tried using an end-fed antenna but that didn’t work out.
So, I was wondering if anyone has ever found a multiband HF vertical, specifically designed to be mounted high in the air on a ROHN Tower? I am basically looking for a way to operate on all bands without a wire antenna.

 

[prcguy]

I have a 70 foot Rohn tower, but due to the South end of my property being forested, I am unable to install an multiband inverted “V”. I have tried using an end-fed antenna but that didn’t work out.
So, I was wondering if anyone has ever found a multiband HF vertical, specifically designed to be mounted high in the air on a ROHN Tower? I am basically looking for a way to operate on all bands without a wire antenna.

Some verticals like the Cushcraft R7000, R9, etc, with built in counterpoise work well on towers. Many other verticals need ground radials which may not work out in your case. There are many verticals to avoid from Comet, Alpha Antenna and most other no tune broad band dummy loads.

 

[AB4BF]

I have a 70 foot Rohn tower, but due to the South end of my property being forested, I am unable to install an multiband inverted “V”. I have tried using an end-fed antenna but that didn’t work out.
So, I was wondering if anyone has ever found a multiband HF vertical, specifically designed to be mounted high in the air on a ROHN Tower? I am basically looking for a way to operate on all bands without a wire antenna.

The clubs in my area use a Hustler vertical for field day and for school round-up week. It works very well. You could leave it on the ground with radials, I think, but mounting on a tower may require a different kind of radial system, IDK. Reading further down the Hustler webpage, the antenna can be mounted elevated. Doesn't specify how much, though. Here's a link...

Hustler Antenna 6BTV Hustler 6BTV 6-Band HF Vertical Antenna and DXE Installation Guide Packages | DX Engineering

Free Shipping - Hustler 6BTV 6-Band HF Vertical Antenna and DXE Installation Guide Packages with qualifying orders of $99. Shop HF Vertical Antennas and Packages at DX Engineering.

www.dxengineering.com

Good luck and 73!

 

[W8KIC]

If I had a 70 ft. tower, I'd be looking more towards something like a small tribander, at the very least. However, it sounds like you want to avoid the cost of both a decent directional antenna, as well as a rotator. For all I know, a beam might not even be your cup of tea. Not that it really matters but is the tower freestanding or is it a fully guyed structure?

 

[K4EET]

Some verticals like the Cushcraft R7000, R9, etc, with built in counterpoise work well on towers. <snip>

I have the Cushcraft R9 vertical 9-band HF antenna which is essentially an end-fed in the vertical plane. The manual states that it needs to be at least 10 feet above the ground BUT also 60 feet away from vertical metal structures such as towers.



It is not clear if it can be mounted on a metal structure such as a 20 foot galvanized fence post or a 70 foot Rohn tower. If mounted on a vertical metal structure it definitely could not be mounted on a side-arm adjacent to the metal structure. Since the Cushcraft R9 is over 30 feet tall, guying that antenna if mounted on top of a 70 foot Rohn tower would be interesting.

73, Dave K4EET

 

[prcguy]

I have the Cushcraft R9 vertical 9-band HF antenna which is essentially an end-fed in the vertical plane. The manual states that it needs to be at least 10 feet above the ground BUT also 60 feet away from vertical metal structures such as towers.

View attachment 169192

It is not clear if it can be mounted on a metal structure such as a 20 foot galvanized fence post or a 70 foot Rohn tower. If mounted on a vertical metal structure it definitely could not be mounted on a side-arm adjacent to the metal structure. Since the Cushcraft R9 is over 30 feet tall, guying that antenna if mounted on top of a 70 foot Rohn tower would be interesting.

73, Dave K4EET

Yes they can be mounted on top of a metal tower, metal mast, etc. Not right on the ground, not right on a metal roof.

 

[WA8ZTZ]

Given that many hf verticals are 25' to over 30' tall and weigh as much as 20 lbs or more, it could become very unwieldy trying to mount such on top of a 70' tower. Then, as Dave mentioned, there is the question of guying.

 

[John_S]

The clubs in my area use a Hustler vertical for field day and for school round-up week. It works very well. You could leave it on the ground with radials, I think, but mounting on a tower may require a different kind of radial system, IDK. Reading further down the Hustler webpage, the antenna can be mounted elevated. Doesn't specify how much, though. Here's a link...

Hustler Antenna 6BTV Hustler 6BTV 6-Band HF Vertical Antenna and DXE Installation Guide Packages | DX Engineering

Free Shipping - Hustler 6BTV 6-Band HF Vertical Antenna and DXE Installation Guide Packages with qualifying orders of $99. Shop HF Vertical Antennas and Packages at DX Engineering.

www.dxengineering.com

Good luck and 73!

Those are really meant to be ground mounted.

 

[John_S]

Another option would an off center fed dipole set up as a sloper. There's lots about building these on Youtube...Tim G5TM and Walt K4OGO both have good info.

 

[AA9WB]

Some verticals like the Cushcraft R7000, R9, etc, with built in counterpoise work well on towers. Many other verticals need ground radials which may not work out in your case. There are many verticals to avoid from Comet, Alpha Antenna and most other no tune broad band dummy loads.

I had a ground mounted Cushcraft Vertical for DX several years ago. Those verticals are up to 28 feet high and very flimsy even when ground mounted. Being up in the air 70 feet on the Illinois prairie might be a problem.
I was really hoping to find some type of heavy duty multi-band vertical made specifically for high level mounting on a tower that would provide local and multi-state contacts as well as DX. But I may be chasing rainbows.

 

[W8KIC]

I had a ground mounted Cushcraft Vertical for DX several years ago. Those verticals are up to 28 feet high and very flimsy even when ground mounted. Being up in the air 70 feet on the Illinois prairie might be a problem.
I was really hoping to find some type of heavy duty multi-band vertical made specifically for high level mounting on a tower that would provide local and multi-state contacts as well as DX. But I may be chasing rainbows.

Here's an idea, although anything but practical: I don't remember you mentioning if that tower is still on the ground or has already been erected but have you thought about the possibility of selling it outright? Hopefully, it's in good enough shape, enough to attract a potential buyer for it to help defray the cost of something like a slightly (maybe more than slightly) used Hy-Gain Hy-Tower. No, it's not a magic bullet and it won't reach up high into the sky and give Jack's beanstalk a run for his money. However, once you've put up the Hy-Tower, you'll be able to install a decent ground radial system and of course, do so on the ground while you're looking UP in the air as you take notice that everything else is in place (minus the electrical ground) Again, I have no idea what you'll fetch for that Rohn tower but hopefully, its still new enough that its structural integrity isn't in question by anyone who might consider taking a bite at it. There. I said it and now open myself up to any and all criticism over this rather harebrained idea that somehow managed to find its way through from what little Grey matter remains. Lol! Let's hear some additional ideas that might be of help to the OP.

 

[AA9WB]

What?

 

[AA9WB]

Here is a photo of my tower. If I can’t use a vertical on top any other ideas of a wire antenna. I can put a wire on the tower and run it as far as 120 feet on the property. But only in one direction. The other side of my property is a Forest.

 

[K6GBW]

Shunt feed the tower itself.

 

[mmckenna]

Shunt feed the tower itself.

Thank you, was waiting for someone to suggest this. Or insulate the base and run a bunch of ground radials.

 

[W8KIC]

What?

Again, I had no idea that the tower was already up. If that’d been the case, I never would’ve posted anything in the first place. My mistake and obviously a big one. Lol! Good luck with whatever you end up going with.

 

[EAFrizzle]

broad band dummy loads.

So sad, yet true...

Also, a good name for a math rock band in a science college town.

 

[AA9WB]

Thank you everyone for your posts. I’ll come up with something.
Take care everyone!
AA9WB

 

[W4AXW]

Thank you everyone for your posts. I’ll come up with something.
Take care everyone!
AA9WB

Not sure why your trees cause you to automatically rule out a Center-fed or Off Center-fed dipole in an Inverted-V configuration of some some sort. There are operators all around the planet using trees for support and/or feedpoint location. With the feedpoint @ 70' AGL it would be a full-wavelength above ground on 20m! And a half-wavelength on 40m! An Inverted-V at that height would seriously outperform any plug-and-play no-ground-plane vertical/dummy load. And possibly for less $$.